Name: Garlic Herb Butter Roast Chicken
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 120 min
Total time: 125 min
Ingredients: 1 whole chicken (mine was about 5 pounds, discard the giblets); 4 cloves of garlic; 2 tbsp butter flavored coconut oil (or unsalted butter); 1 bunch of fresh thyme; 1/4 cup coarse salt

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5 from 2 votes

I've roasted many chickens & this Garlic Herb Butter Roast Chicken was the BEST one. The crunchy bits of garlic are amazing. It has only 5 ingredients and takes 5 minutes to prepare.

This was one of the first recipes I ever shared on Joy Filled Eats way back in 2016. It really needed some more information, newly edited photos, and better instructions.

Taryn in 2016: I don't normally roast whole chickens at 11 am on Thursday mornings but I might start. My husband and I were going to a fundraiser last night but the chicken I took out a few days ago from the freezer was completely thawed. I didn't want to chance it spoiling so I decided to just cook it. It came out amazing. I ate more than I care to admit for lunch.

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Well, since then I still don't roast chickens in the morning very often but I have made this roast chicken recipe more times than I can count. The leftovers are great in soups, salads, sandwiches, or just cold out of the fridge. We've reached a point in our family, now with 6 children, that I'll even roast 2 birds at once so we have leftovers.

Ingredients

Whole Chicken - Make sure to remove all the giblets. You need to check the main chicken cavity and the neck cavity.

Butter Flavored Coconut Oil - Trust me on this one. It is the best ingredient for roast chicken.

Fresh Herbs - I used some thyme from my garden but you can use any fresh herbs you have. Rosemary sprigs, parsley, sage leaves, chives, and dill all pair well with chicken.

Garlic - Fresh garlic is necessary. You can up the amount of garlic as much as you like.

Coarse Salt - I liberally salt the inside of the bird with salt to help it retain its natural moisture.

Why Use Butter Flavored Coconut Oil?

Butter flavored coconut oil is dairy free but tastes like butter. My kids love it on popcorn and I use it in dairy-free baked goods and on roasted veggies.

It works really well on skin-onchicken. I mix it with fresh minced garlic and the chicken came out golden brown with crispy bits of garlic covering it. Those were the best part. The reason I use it on this chicken is that the burning point is higher than regular butter. This allows the skin and the garlic on the skin to get crispier than they would with regular salted butter.

You can use ghee or refined coconut oil in place of the butter flavored coconut oil if you have one of those on hand.

How to Make Garlic Herb Butter Roast Chicken

This recipe is so simple. I don't bother roasting it breast side down and then flipping the hot chicken halfway through, blotting it with paper towels, using a rack, or even basting it.

Step One: Mix together a pinch of the salt, the chopped garlic, and the coconut oil. I season chicken thoroughly since it has a very mild flavor on its own.

Step Two: Salt the cavity of the chicken and fill it with thyme.

Step Three: Rub the outside of the chicken with the garlic butter.

Step Four: Bake in a preheated oven for 2-3 hours at 350.

Tips for Tender Roast Chicken

Salt - My trick for roasting chicken is to very liberally salt the cavity. This flavors the chicken from the inside and makes the bird super moist. The only downside is the pan juices in the roasting pan end up too salty to make gravy. If you are a big gravy fan you can cut back on the salt.

Temperature - I normally check both chicken breasts and at least one chicken thigh with an internal thermometer before declaring the roast chicken done. You want the chicken's internal temperature to be 160 before consuming. But if it is 157-158 I will just take it out of the oven and let it rest until it is 160.

Variations

Lemon Pepper - Mix some black pepper and lemon zest into the garlic butter before spreading it on the whole chicken.

Vegetables - Want to cook some veggies around your chicken as it roasts? Go ahead. Cauliflower is a great choice for low carb in place of traditional potatoes and carrots. I like to roast some onions and Brussels sprouts too. Just make sure to use a very big pan because if the vegetables are crowded around the chicken too closely the skin won't crisp.

Garlic - Want more garlic? Throw a garlic head or two into the pan to roast while your chicken does. The best thing to do is cut off the top ¼ and drizzle with olive oil. Later you can just squeeze out the roasted cloves.

Mushrooms Sauce - Want a sauce to go with your roast chicken? This is amazing with my Keto Mushroom Sauce!

Sides

I can't think of too many sides that wouldn't go with a roasted chicken. Or actually, any sides that wouldn't go with roast chicken. But here are a few of our favorites to serve with this:

Want More Easy Dinners?

This is another in my series of dinners with only 5 ingredients and a 5 minute prep time. I promised last time I wouldn't do another chicken recipe but I couldn't help it. This needed to be shared. You can also check out my Pizza Chicken Casserole, Baked Pesto Chicken, and Cheesy Bacon Chicken for other easy dinner ideas. Or try this keto sauerkraut and sausage!

You can buy Nutiva Buttery Coconut Oil directly from Amazon or Thrive Market.

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